§ Mr. Ralph HowellTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total number of(a) unskilled, (b) semi-skilled and (c) skilled persons (i) in the entire work force and (ii) classified as unemployed in Britain; and what information he has on conparable figures in other Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development countries, showing in each case the actual figure and percentage of the total work force.
Mr. JacksonThe Great Britain labour force survey provides estimates of people in skilled occupations. Preliminary results from the 1990 labour force survey are shown in the following table:
463W3The social class of the unemployed is based on their previous occupation, except for those who left their last job more than three years ago, or who have never had a job, who are not asked about their previous occupation.
Source: 1990 Labour Force Survey, preliminary results.
This does not exactly equate to skilled persons. For instance, skilled people working in unskilled occupations will be classified as unskilled. No reliable comparable figures are available for other OECD countries.